Miko
by ShippoizmaFOX
Summary: When her close friend's older sister is found dead Kagome knows something is wrong. She can't walk away from a good mystery and this seems like the perfect place to put her detective mind to work. However there is more than meets the eye.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter1: Summer

"I absolutely love the last day of school!" Yuka yawned in delight, " Study halls all day, perfect time to think about the new swim suit I'm going to buy!" She ended her sentence with a wicked smile, that only she could pull off.

"Honestly I agree for once with you, I mean us hitting the beach, together, this is going to be the best summer yet!" Eri said smiling her own lopsided grin. "And Kagome is getting her drivers license soon too so we will have a ride instead of the bus right? Kagome, are you listening to me?" Eri kindly knocked the book out of Kagome's hand. It closed with a snap.

"Hey! I lost my page, it's going to take forever to find it again!" Kagome frowned, slipping her reading glasses off her face and placing them on the desk in front of her.

"Well you were the one reading on the last day of school! Really, who does that?" Yuka asked taking the book from Kagome's desk. "Natsuo Kirino ,whose that?"

"A very good author who writes murder mysteries" Kagome said, detached.

"Of course Kagome's reading a mystery book, she's Japan's own Nancy Drew" Eri chided, "She can never turn down a good mystery"

"Exactly," Kagome laughed, stuffing her book into her bag and joining fully into her friend's conversation, "Remember I always find you guys stuff when you think ' someone stole it' so be grateful!"

"Speaking of lost stuff where is Ayumi, I haven't seen her all day and we have all the same classes" Yuka scratched her chin, "I swear she got off the bus this morning "

"Really now?" Kagome got that twinkle in her eye that she got when she was planning something.

"Yeah, I mean Ayumi is like the 'voice of reason' I doubt she would skip class" Eri added.

Kagome grabbed her 'detective notebook'. She had it since she was in 5th grade and her love of solving mysteries began. It was a leather bound diary type book with pages sticking in and out of it. It was old but it was her pride and joy. Any suspicious activity she noticed, any mystery she stumbled across was noted inside, solved inside, everything was inside that notebook for her. "Tell me what you know" She said steely eyed.

"Now our little detective is on the case!" Yuka chuckled, "Relax Kagome! I'm sure that Ayumi just got called to the office or something."

"Yeah, I guess your right….nothing to solve here, case closed." Kagome closed her notebook with a snap stuffing it into her bag. She told herself her friends were right. No mystery was developing at all. Her friend was just got called to the office or something and had to stay there. The bell rang, the normal dull sound that signaled the end of classes.

Kagome grabbed her bag waved goodbye to her friends and promised to save their seats at lunch. With a final look into their direction, she walked out of the room and to her Literature class.

On her way to class she had to walk past the office. The only difference this time was outside stood two NPA officers with a crying Ayumi in between two officers.

"What's going on here?" Kagome asked one of the officers, using her ' I'm not a child' voice.

"Shouldn't you be getting to class young lady?" Was his answer, however Kagome was put of that easily

"I want to know what's going on with my friend"

"Its okay Kagome" Ayumi said, her voice quivering with tears, " I just have a family emergency. They are taking me to my parents"

"Well if you say its alright then okay, call me when you can" Kagome said, giving a glare to the officers as they led her away.

Kagome knew something wasn't right. This was just the beginning.

She was starting to regret summer.


	2. Chapter 2 : Thief

Chapter 2: Thief

The news had spread like wildfire in the following weeks of the new summer. Ayumi's sister had been found the morning of the last day of school. She was in her apartment, bound and beheaded-execution style. The 'awesome' summer Yuka and Eri were planning was postponed indefinitely as they came to the aid of there distraught friend.

It wasn't that she and her sister were close, in fact her sister was only her half-sister and was ten years older than her. It was the fact that her sister's dad ( her mothers first husband whom she left to persue her career and eventually had Ayumi) had flown into town once he received word. Without enough money for a hotel or even a crummy motel he was staying at Ayumi's house and causing an argument every night.

" He's always saying that she would've been better off staying at my shrine, that is was mother's fault for making her leave! She didn't want to live with us, she came to escape strict rules I mean from heaven's sake she was 27! She chose to leave him...and he blames my mother because she did the same thing!" Ayumi cried into her pillow. The whole gang had stopped by to see how she was doing. The funeral had been earlier today.

" How can he do something so cruel? He should stop and think, maybe people are running away from him!" Yuka said, venom lacing her voice.

" So when is he leaving?" Eri asked, changing the subject to something more enjoyable.

" We aren't sure. He says he can't wait to get out of this 'demonic' place but I don't think he has enough for a plane ticket."

" He sounds like my grandfather" Kagome muttered at hearing the word demonic.

" Not trying to sound rude or anything but is it that bad living on a shrine?" Yuka asked Kagome before being hit on the arm by Eri, " Ow! That hurt"

" That is rude, I'm sure Kagome is happy with her home life, and this isn't suppose to turn into bash on shrine keepers. We are suppose to be here for Ayumi!" Eri chided handing another tissue to Ayumi.

" Well I don't mind the question. For me it isn't that bad, sure I get bored hearing old legends and priestess robes are itchy but all in all I like it there!" Kagome said

" So then why did Mom and my Sister leave the shrine?" Ayumi said wiping a stray tear away from her face.

" Maybe it wasn't the shrine, some people aren't built for boring shrine work. It is tedious and tiresome..even I need to escape from it" Kagome offered.

" Well I guess," Ayumi started, " Either way it isn't important. The most important thing is getting that asshole out of our house!"

" Geez, I guess this is serious because you never curse"

Kagome casually checked the time on her phone, staring at it for a moment before stuffing it into her purse. " I've gotta go. Steps don't get swept by themselves!" She chuckled before standing up and smoothing out her skirt.

" Aw you have to leave so soon?" Yuka said smiling sideways.

" Thank you for coming, I appreciate it" Ayumi said hugging Kagome. If she had been paying attention she would have noticed how Kagome trembled slightly.

" Uh...Well I've got to get going now" Kagome said slowly walking toward the door. She tripped over her own feet and fell into Ayumi's dresser.

" Kagome! Are you okay?" Ayumi, Eri and Yuka asked in unison moving quickly to her side.

" Yes I'm fine! Just being clumsy in these shoes... aha" Kagome chuckled, " Well I really need to be going now see you guys tomorrow."

" Alright then bye"

**********************

Kagome didn't open her left hand till she was in her room, the door lock and her cell phone in the off position. And when she did open it she couldn't stop herself from shaking. In it she held a single key. Nothing that unusual at a glance. However the key belonged to the apartment of Naomi Michiru who was found bound and beheaded a few weeks ago.

Ayumi's sister.

Kagome hadn't even known that it was there and didn't plan on taking it at all. Not until Ayumi mentioned it and placed in on her dresser did Kagome even think about it. Ever since the discovery Kagome had been keeping notes about it in her old detective notebook. It became an odd obession,

Kagome's curious eye couldn't get enough of it. She wanted to solve it, to close the case. However to form a motive, to even get suspects she needed clues, and the crime scene was the perfect place to start. So Kagome stole the key.

She planned it all out, she was going to go at midnight when the change for night watchmen happened. She would look around, collect data and wipe her tracks and slip out at six, when the watchman was changed again. Simple enough, her mother would think she was sleeping at her friends house and no one would know what she was doing.

Carefully she planned what she was going to take with her and she left the house around five saying she was going to Yuka's. Slipping into the twenty-four hour cafe she sat and waited for midnight to come.

*************************

" Damnit!' Kagome cursed as she stubbed her toe against the stair. She had slipped in unnoticed and unseen sneaking up the stairs before stubbing her toe ungracefully. She sighed before taking a crinkled peace of paper out of her pocket.

D25. The apartment number of Naomi Michiru. Kagome took another deep breath, trying to calm her nerves.

" I've come this far, no use turing back" She wishpered as she cut the tape and turned the key.

Inside was a hazy smoke that showed how unused the room had become. Kagome stepped unsure before switching on a small table lamp and getting to work.

" What will I need" She said looking around before getting to work on dusting fingerprints where investigators never dust, the bathroom and the kitchen. After gathering the prints she set out to collect hair samples of Naomi. Taking the brush off of her dresser she took some straight brown hair out of it and set it into a baggie.

Next Kagome took two photo albums and downloaded files from her laptop about her work as an intern for a company. When she finished gathering the evidence left behind by the police it was four A.M.

" I'm beat.." Kagome said landing in a chair. She decided she could spare some minutes to take a light nap before sneaking out at the second change of watchmen.

She had been drifting slowly in and out when she heard a jingle on the door.

" Captain, it won't open but the tape over the door is cut" A voice outside called

" Keep trying! I'm trusting the neighbors on this one, someone is in there" Another voice called.

Kagome tried to keep calm, she needed a way out and fast. She stared at the window, she was only on the third floor, she could make it right.

She ran to the window in the living room opposite the door that the police officers were now frantically beating.

" Fire escape!" She breathed when she saw it. Jimming the window open she slipped in between before hearing ' they're heading out the window'

She had to work fast.

Once outside she closed the window behind her and adjusted her gloves, swinging her body around she landing on the rail before tearing down the steps. Once safely on the ground she used her track skills heading down the alley and disappearing into the dawning light.

***************************

It was later that same day. Kagome had been called by Ayumi on her cell to meet at the park.

" Hi Kagome" Ayumi said dryly sounding not friendly at all. Yuka and Eri remained quiet however they glared daggers at her.

" Hey guys, what's up?" Kagome said lightly, feeling awkward, like someone was taking the air away from her lungs.

" I've been getting a lot of phone calls lately, from your mom, from the police" Ayumi said, folding her arms over her chest.

" About what?"

" Well your mother had the odd idea that you were sleeping over at Yuka's but you told us that you couldn't make the sleepover and you were catching a cold"

" I had something to do, that mom couldn't know about"

" Don't worry she doesn't know you were too busy breaking into my DEAD sister' s apartment!' Ayumi screeched looking more angry than she ever did before.

" What?"

" Don't pull that dumb shit Kagome! When you tripped yesterday you swiped the key? Huh, didn't you?! "

" I just........it was an opporunity"

" Damnit Kagome I...We all take your 'detective' mind as one of your quirks but this is too far. This is a murder investigation.....A SERIOUS thing.........if you got caught you would've gone to JAIL! You can't solve this Kagome!" Ayumi said, something not hate but something similar glazing over her eyes.

" I'm sorry, I know I can solve it though"

" SHUTUP! This is stupid I swear! Just give me the key and get out of my face!" Ayumi stuck out her hand.

" Ayumi! Yuka! Eri! I said I was sorry I didn't find anything, I'm over it now" Kagome said, her voice close to a whimper.

" Haven't you told enough lies already? This isn't some story this is real, someone really died and you really broke in. Like a common thief" Yuka said grabbing hold of Ayumi's hand

" Eri?" Kagome said

" Just giver her the key and leave.....then maybe this can start to get behind us" Eri said grabbing Ayumi's other hand

Kagome dug the key out of her pocket and threw it at Ayumi, it clattered on the ground like a shattered vase.

Or a shattered friendship.

Kagome turned and left. There were plenty of other people in the world. But she hadn't known them all in 1st grade, not all of them were her best friends.

Maybe she was nothing but a common thief.


	3. Chapter 3: Call

Chapter 3

For weeks Kagome stayed in a melancholy state. She mourned her poor decision and the lost of her friends. The evidence she had sought and stole for laid untouched, tucked under her bed. The news had said the break in was the murderer coming back to make sure his tracks were clean. Only Kagome, Ayumi, Eri, and Yuka knew the truth about who stole the evidence.

Kagome hoped none of them talked, unless to her again.

The only thing that brought Kagome out of her limbo state was another murder. This time it was a prominent broker, Maoru Kishimoto. She was found on the floor of her office, bound and beheaded like Naomi. Kagome knew right away this wasn't a copy cat or an imposter but the 'executioner' ( Kagome's code name for the killer) had striked again.

This time however there wasn't anyone she could talk into giving information. She was just another person that just happened to be facinated by this case.

"Kagome, I want you to be careful out there" Her mother said one morning as Kagome grabbed an apple and headed for the door. Kagome decided to try and sneak into Maoru's building as well, it was going to be tougher but maybe she wouldn't need a key or physical skills, maybe just a good lie.

No matter how much she wanted her friends to talk to her again, to simply forget the biggest mystery ever was knocking at the back door, she couldn't. It was calling her, beckoning her to solve it.

It was something she couldn't ignore.

"I will Mama" Kagome said politely taking a bite out of her apple and reaching for the knob.

"I'm serious!" Kagome's mother said sharply, causing her to drop her hand from the door and turn to look at her mother.

"I promise I will be careful!" Kagome whined

"I see it in your out there doing something dangerous, something that I'd die if I knew. I don't want to know all I want you to promise me is that you'll be careful. I know you want to be a detective, you like solving things but out there, it isn't a game of clue and it isn't as simple as Colonel Mustard with the candlestick."

"Mom I know, this isn't a game believe me, you aren't the first to tell me. But I know what I'm doing, I'll be okay. I'll be back by supper"

" Bye sweethart" Kagome's mother said giving her a small smile before pecking her on the cheek.

Kagome smiled and exited the house. Only letting the frown settle on her features after she was down the steps of the shrine. Her mother's words had wormed into her brain and settled into her concious. She tried to ignore it but she couldn't. Still her resolve was strong. Making sure there was no wrinkles in her black skirt. She headed toward the large building where Maoru had worked.

"I'm Li Takeda from the Hong Kong Sun. I'm here to do a special report on the Tokyo murders" Kagome smiled and flashed a fake reporter badge to the officers posted outside. It had taken her all night to create a fake badge. She used the new photoshop system Yuka had installed for her 17th birthday.

Good times.

"You may enter Miss. Takeda." The officers parted. "I always find time to read your articles"

"Really now?" Kagome knew for a fact that a reporter named Li Takeda didn't exist. She checked to make sure because it would be bad to have the 'real' reporter show up. Little bells went off in Kagome's head but she ignored it.

Maybe the man didn't want to seem dumb in front of a 'reporter'

Kagome flashed a huge smile at the man before crossing the tape.

" Alright, now to find as much as I can" Kagome muttered to herself taking out her tape recorder before approaching the man standing next to Maoru's desk.

" What can I help you with?" The man gruffly asked before she finished her strut toward him.

" I'm Li Takeda from the Hong Kong Sun. I was wondering if you have any comments about the murders happening in Tokyo this summer" Kagome said without faltering.

" You look young for a reporter, especially to be sent all the way to Tokyo where pretty, young girls, like yourself, are being murdered." He said ignoring her question.

" What can I say, I age slow." Kagome chuckled, letting her laugh cover the incredible fear she had.

" Can I see some Id?" He asked

" Sure!" Kagome pulled out her fake badge from the Hong Kong Sun. She handed it to him confidently, not letting him see her grimace.

He leaned in close, letting his lip brush over her ear. Kagome shivered." There isn't room enough for the both of us so I suggest you leave before you blow my cover"

" Wha-" Kagome couldn't even finish her statement before he was gone, leaving in his wake a surprised girl with a mental picture of glowing amber eyes

_' Other people like me?' _ Kagome could hardly believe the notion. She always thought of herself as one of a kind, the only person who really liked to solve 'real world' mysteries.

The only person obsessed with this case.

However the boy was proof enough that others existed, and wanted it just as bad. Kagome couldn't believe her stupidity, compared to the other policemen stationed around he was a foot shorter. His voice , after he dropped the act was almost squeaky and high pitched.

Yet she couldn't get his eyes out of her mind. What kind of person had eyes like that? She had never seen eyes that golden, so amber. They had shined without light at all.

_' I might have to do some research on him. I'm not going to give up and I know he isn't either'_ Kagome had neatly bypassed him the remainder of time and had to been able to swipe some photos and a phone book of Maoru's desk.

" Kagome, dear, please come downstairs, there is a call for you!" Kagome's mother called upstairs awhile later.

Kagome didn't know who would be calling. She didn't have friends anymore and she had her cell phone so no one actually called her house.

_' Wait..Where is my cell?' _Kagome thought as she left her room heading to the phone.

" Hello?" Kagome asked

_Hi there, I'm glad you came to the phone,_

" Who is this?"

_Well that isn't important._

" Excuse me I think it is! How did you get my number?' Kagome wisphered harshly. She knew her mother was probably listening to the conversation around the corner so she didn't want to scare her.

_That isn't important either, I just got it._

" Then what do you want? That has to be 'important'"

_Well meet me in fifteen at the building where Maoru worked. Oh and bring that lovely fake badge_

"Your that guy?!" Kagome said losing the wispher in her voice and almost screaming into the phone.

_Maybe __ỉ__ am, but what is important is that you meet me in fifteen. __ỉ__ guess you can call that I'm ' that guy' important too, t so will I see you there?_

"Depends if you show up?" Kagome challenged letting her voice rise. She hated being patronized and even though warning bells went off in her head she wanted to put the stupid little jerk in his place.

_Good girl, see you_ He hung up before the words could even register in her head.

"MOM! I'm heading out for a moment! Don't wait up!" Kagome said grabbing the bag she yet to unpack from her earlier excursion to the building. Sighing Kagome quietly closed the door behind her. Somehow this felt like walking into the unknown.


	4. Chapter 4: Inuyasha

Kagome's resolve dripped away with every slight patter of rain. Before her adrenaline had kept her pumped but now sitting in the shadows of Maoru's office building the cold was seeping into her every pore.

Making her Afraid

_'I can't be such a baby' _Kagome scolded herself still the urge to run all the way home was still in her heart. Kagome heard a rustling behind her, that made her jump. Kagome was almost into the upright position before a hand slipped over her mouth, silencing her scream

" I'm glad your here, Princess" the voice said behind her before letting its grip go.

"You thought I wouldn't show?" Kagome tried to sound brave, turning to face the one mocking her, but she appeared less than okay as she let out a long held breath.

"You should of stayed home instead of looking like a ghost jumped out at you!" He accused, his eyes flashing with disgust. Kagome felt small under his gaze

_'Those crazy eyes again' _

"So are you ready or not? And can you stop looking at me like I'm some sort of animal?" He quipped, making Kagome turned away, her face burning hot.

"What is your name anyway?" Kagome asked

"None of your business! Didn't I tell you before not ask about unimportant stuff"

"I'm not going anywhere with you unless you tell me your name!"

"You're kidding right? Fine my name is….uh…Kyo"

"You're lying to me aren't you? Your name isn't Kyo and unless you start explaining I'm not going anywhere with you" Kagome sat back down on the bench she occupied before he showed up.

Kagome was a great read of character and she knew he wasn't a threat, she just didn't like the fact that he knew her name, her home phone number, and the last thirty texts she had sent and all she knew was he had haunting amber eyes and didn't work for the police.

"How about I give you every little detail after we finish this?" He glanced at his watch." The Police guard change just happened. We have about forty-five seconds to get in there without being noticed"

"So how do you suppose we do that in forty….three seconds and counting" Kagome said giving him a hard glance. Her annoyance with him took a back seat as her detective mode was in full effect. She was once again a slave to the unknown and the possibility that it could become known to her.

"First you shut your mouth, second, you take that fake badge and swipe it in the back door there," He nodded his head to a door to the right of them that looked unused in the recent years." Third you get ready to run like hell around the back there, and then we'll start over"

"O…Okay" Kagome walked over to the door like he said, glancing over her shoulder she saw him impatiently flagging her to go, while edging toward the back of the building.

'_What if this is a set-up' _Kagome thought darkly, making her pause at the swipe. She closed her eyes and swallowed hard. It wouldn't take much after she was caught to connect her to Ayumi and then to her dead sister's apartment break-in.

She could do hard time

"Give it to me and I'll do it! We only have twenty-three seconds left or it won't work!" Kagome heard his gruff answer in the background. It gave her the resolve to do it. She gritted her teeth before, in one harsh movement, pulling the card through the detector.

Sirens blared into the night.

Kagome stood, stunned by the effects of her actions. She was breathing hard, although what she did took no real physical activity. It wasn't until she felt a sharp tug on her elbow that her brain started moving again. She grabbed her bag she had brought along from the side and dashed around the corner with lighting speed.

"What now!" She sighed to the form next to her, who promptly signaled for her to shut-up.

"It came from over here!" The sound of heavy boots and even heavier guns filled the small alley the pair had occupied mere seconds before.

The boy gave a curt nod and took off around the back of the building to the other side. He motioned for Kagome to follow. The trekked to a small ladder that had extended from the building, it was small and hadn't been used since it was placed but it led to a third floor open window.

"When the building was made it came with alternative escape routes, when an alarm is tripped this ladder deploys…those goons probably don't even know about it" The boy sounded smug and turned toward Kagome, waiting for his praise.

"Hmm, good to know…I think we should get in there before they notice it" Kagome said throwing her bag onto her back and climbing aboard. It took her a few seconds to get a good grip but in no time she was scaling the building.

With a final heave she tumbled into the building, the boy not far behind. She dusted her dark capris off and took out a pair of gloves.

"Maybe you should have but them on _before_ you started climbing? Your prints are all over the ladder" He said wiggling his gloved hands at her. Kagome looked mortified for a moment before he waved a handkerchief in front of her face.

"I'm the best, remember that" He said before stalking out of the hallway they had entered into the stairwell. The building was quiet, there was no need to put officers inside since all (almost all) entrances were covered with guards.

They had free run of the building

" I'm sure they have wiped the Maoru's office dry of any evidence since other crime scenes have been compromised and evidence taken" He stared at Kagome with a knowing glance, " So the best bet is looking for things in unconventional places"

"Like what?"

"Maoru had an assistant…and I'm sure that they weren't as careful with taking everything in her office as they were in Maoru's office."

" I think your on to something, boy with no name" Kagome quipped flashing her daredevil smile.

"Feh" He scoffed before heading toward the assistant's room. Earlier he had memorized the floor plan and made sure to wedge the door open in preparation for their break-in.

_'It seems everyday I'm breaking into something' _ Kagome thought dryly. As she followed him into the dark room. She pulled a flashlight out and shone it onto the plain desk.

"Hold the light steady...I'm gonna check her bottom drawers" The boy said taking a lock pick from his bag.

"So why did you need me to come?" Kagome asked after a moment.

"Cuz you're the only one with the card with a fake barcode"

" I'm sure you could have made one, I mean you came up with the plan"

" Why make one when there is a perfectly willing idiot to come along all late to do it for you" He looked up from his work with a large smirk on his face. Kagome matched it with a scowl.

After a moment of working the drawer slid open and the contents was out for everyone to see.

"Bingo"

They sifted through the contents, old receipts, long forgotten sticky notes and a small black notebook

" What is this?" Kagome grabbed it and slowly opened the cover before the boy slapped it down and placed a finger over his lips.

A shadow was moving over the door, it look like a heavy duty NPA officer. moving past the paper thin door.

After a pause the officer walked back into the darkness from whence he came.

**"We need to leave, now" **Kagome mouthed to the boy tucking the book inside her bag and slowly opening the door, after a quick check she dashed back into the room where the ladder was. She hoisted the window up and quickly climbed down. She didn't look back until she was safely on the ground.

The boy was nowhere to be found.

Kagome panicked for a moment. If he was caught how could she know that he wouldn't rat her out for amnesty. However she knew she couldn't waste any time sitting like a bump on a log. She dashed down the back alley and away from the building.

Only until she was at least 5 blocks away from the building did Kagome let herself slow down.

It seemed all she did was run lately.

She stopped. Leaning heavily on the brick wall behind her she caught her breath, removed her gloves and tried to seem like a normal high school girl.

When she removed her right glove a small piece of paper floated out.

She picked it up and read it

_Wait for the next call, by the way, the name's Inuyasha_

"Inuyasha" Kagome said outloud. The name sounded foreign on her lips.

This boy had waltzed into her life and connected with her detective mind in every way.

He scared her, he excited her, and Kagome knew deep down that Inuyasha was about to change everything.


	5. Chapter 5: Partners

Chapter 5: Agency

Kagome couldn't keep the name out of her mind

_Inuyasha_

How foreign it sounded, slightly old fashioned a name feral and regal at the same time. It was unusual but it seemed to fit with the molten Amber eyes and the midnight black hair. He was a mystery himself.

And like a good mystery Kagome couldn't stay away.

"Damnit, I need to stop thinking about him," Kagome said quietly to herself, gripping the book in her hands until her knuckles turned white. It had been the same cycle for the past week as Kagome waited, impatiently, for him to call. She was stressing herself out with all types of thoughts about him. Kagome wanted to know if he got out of the building alright, if he had any luck with leads,

If he was just plain okay

"Hey Sis, Did ya know that Yuka, Eri and Ayumi came to my soccer game today. Why didn't you go with them?" Kagome's ten-year-old brother, Souta, stepped into the small courtyard out in front of the sacred tree that took up much of the yard. He was still muddy and sweaty from his soccer game, his uneven bang sticking to his forehead.

The question came straight out of nowhere and without warning Kagome tossed her book at him.

"STOP BEING SUCH A BRAT!" She screeched tearing off into the house. With haste she scribbled a note to her mother and grabbed her bookbag before taking off running down the shrine steps.

'_You can't run forever Kagome…they still won't talk to you and it's killing you inside' _She thought darkly as she turned a corner and began to pick up speed. Another thing Inuyasha's arrival had been a distracter from was the crisis she was in with her friends. Not only had they ousted her from their group for her actions they made sure she would never, ever have a social life again.

Kagome was never an extreme social butterfly but she missed the calls in the middle of the night when someone had a bad dream, the random trips for ice cream, the movie nights and every other thing that teenage girls could do. She had no one to talk to about this whole ordeal.

"I fucked up! I get it!" Kagome screamed to everyone and no one at the same time. She stopped her run in mid stride letting herself crumble to the ground, her palms slapping the pavement.

It was at this moment that her cell phone began to ring.

Kagome steeled herself for her little brother's call, knowing that she was going to get in trouble for her hasty exit.

"Yeah Souta?" Kagome questioned letting out a long breath. She never meant to snap at him.

"_You__** spent all this time trying to figure out my name and then you don't even remember it?" **_The voice from over the phone sounded smooth as silk against the raw and frazzled emotions of the tearful girl. Once again the enigma that was Inuyasha had settled into her brain and now all the other stress was once again at bay.

"Finally you call, I see you got out of the building alright"

"_**Feh. Look I've got something to show you, I need you to bring the black book from the office too**_" He asked quietly. Kagome instantly became suspicious again; it was too good to be true. Still his presence was a great distracter and that was what she needed.

"When and where?" Kagome asked looking in the small in her bag for a place to write it down.

"That Starbucks around the corner from your shrine" The phone call ended with a sharp click before Kagome could even answer. A chill wormed its way down her spine with the last statement though

She had never told him where she lived.

Fighting back the urge to call the cops Kagome readied her nerves before taking the short walk around the corner to the little Starbucks, the newest piece of American culture to make its debut in the more reserved part of Tokyo.

"Why do I keep flip-flopping about this guy?" Kagome questioned aloud. One moment she put all the trust she had in her in him, letting him lead their expedition into the unknown and then pulling out and questioning his every move.

Kagome squared her shoulder and let the sweet cold air of the Starbucks kiss her skin. Kagome knew that whether she trusted him or not didn't matter,

She was in too deep.

" Nice to see ya, Princess" The voice growled behind her, Kagome turned to see the object of the majority of her thoughts crammed into a tiny corner booth; a laptop open on the table, a cellphone pressed to his ear and a feral grin plastered across his face.

"I see you've made your self at home-so close to my home, by the way how do you know where I live?" Kagome questioned throwing her pack into the seat and crawling into the booth.

This was the first time Kagome had ever seen the boy in proper lighting, and he was even more breathtaking than in the dark. His amber eyes glittered with the sun, giving them an inhuman glint, his ebony locks a complete opposite to his slightly tanned skin. He looked maybe a year older than her but the slight darkness around his eyes showed that he didn't lead the life of an average teenager during summer break.

"Feh. If we're gonna be workin' together then I might as well know where you live…besides you've got the address programmed into that phone, which is a bad idea by the way" He smirked closing his cell with a snap and focusing all his attention on her.

Kagome blanched, that was a stupid move. What if the cops had picked up her dropped cellular? She'd been down the river! With quick movements Kagome erased the offending information from her phone.

"It's gone, now why did you call me here?"

"Well its been awhile since we've talked and I think I might have a lead"

"Before we continue…this," Kagome pressed her back against the cool leather of the booth, "I want to know why you're doing…. this"

An awkward silence took over the table. Both felt uncomfortable under the microscope placed on the situation. It wasn't normal for two teens to be so concerned with a couple of murders in the city; so concerned that they were breaking laws left and right.

"Why are you doing this?" He questioned back, his eyes looking darker than ever. Kagome could see the shadows behind his eyes.

He was in pain

"Well, ever since I was little I've loved a good mystery and something about this…draws me. I'm not a fanatic or anything…wait, I guess I am with all the crap we've been doing but I'm hooked on this case…I want to solve it- I know I can solve it" Kagome said with determination.

"And you think you can do that at what? Seventeen?"

"Yeah I'm seventeen and so what if I am! Why are you? I asked that question first by the way"

"I'm here because I've got a lot to loose, and eventually you'll realize that is why you're here too…unless I'm wrong" He scoffed silently before leaning in closely.

Honey gold locked with stormy grey and held for what seemed like an eternity.

"Wh-What are you doing!"

"Yeah, I was right" He straightened up before throwing his things into his bag and getting up from the table.

"Right about what? What's going on! You've gotta talk to me! From day one you've been creeping me out! Tell me the truth!" Kagome was on the verge of going into hysterics. Inuyasha was treating it like this was some sort of crazy murder plot where they could be next, had she gotten in over her head

Still it was something deep inside that was pulling her toward every twist and turn in this case.

"C'mon, we've got to get out of here..I need to show you something" He motioned toward the door

"Inuyasha" She was looking down at the table, her bangs over her eyes, " I'm not going anywhere without knowing the truth, I refuse to keep doing this without the truth"

" I'm gonna show you the truth if you'd shut up and follow me" His words held a sharp edge although he's features had a feral grin. " Stop whining and getting all melodramatic-you've gotta trust me"

Kagome didn't like that word, trust. She'd trusted too many times and had been let down. But this time was going to be different, Kagome could tell by looking in his eyes.

"_I've got to trust him" _She assured herself before giving a curt nod and grabbing her things.

" And if it helps, we're going to the library" He said as she joined him in his commute towards the bus stop.

"The library? For what?" Kagome questioned

"You've got a bad memory, I said I was gonna show you the truth…right now all I've got is speculation…"

" I've just got one more question," Kagome gulped, she didn't want to approach this question for awhile but it was nagging at her. And after everything that was said at Starbucks-she knew she had to ask it " Is this really serious?"

Inuyasha went blank, almost as if he was looking past her. His eyes grew dark and the air seemed thinner.

"Yeah"

Even though every cell in her body screamed for her to run, to throw her phone as far as she could and forget everything Kagome just nodded curtly before breaking out into a small smile. She grabbed Inuyasha's hand and squeezed it.

"I'm not going anywhere I guess we're partners"


	6. Chapter 6: Black

AN: Sorry Shippo lovers (I'm one of 'em look at the penname) but the loveable kitsune won't be in this story. I'm creating a OC to fill the place, to add some drama and move the story to some 'adultish' themes (who doesn't love a darkfic?) So sorry but hey, the original character is a personal favorite of mine so enjoy

Also in the since of a timeline, its been 2 months so if the 1st murder happened in late may its now the beginning of August.

Enjoy!

Chapter 6: Black

Inuyasha did not like this feeling.

He'd had that stupid queasy 'sing out loud' feeling in the pit of his stomach since Kagome has squeezed his hand, and he hated every minute of it. He had to keep reminding himself that she was just there to serve a means to an end.

He needed to stop the 'lovey dovey' shit.

Besides, once she knew the truth, the whole truth, she wouldn't want anything to do with him.

" Which Library?" Her voice cut through his brooding like a silver knife. He looked at her carefully examining her in the cheap fluorescent lighting of the bus. She had jet black hair that fell in natural curls to her back, gray eyes that could have you lost for days and a mouth that looked too kissable for its own good.

'_F O C U S ! I'm not here to play love connection' _He shook his head trying to get rid of his thoughts (without much success) He had to admit she was cute but that wasn't his concern, she could have been butt ugly-she was just the means to an end he reminded himself.

"Inuyasha! I asked a question over here!" Kagome poked him sharply in the shoulder and was immediately met with a scowl

"Oi! Can't someone think without being subject to abuse?"

" No! I asked my question once, I don't plan on repeating my self more than that" She met his scowl with one of her own. Inuyasha felt bad for her, he had dragged her into this.

Kagome could still be a regular high school girl with aspirations and dreams, albeit a weird fascination with murder mysteries, but normal nonetheless.

No one would leave this situation normal, Inuyasha was sure of that.

" Feh, we're going to the downtown one. Its got the biggest source of what we're looking for"

"And what are we looking for exactly?"

" Stuff on Feudal Japan, duh" Inuyasha quipped as he pulled his phone out and checked it.

" And 15th Century Japan is going to help us how?"

"You'll see, Come on" He said grabbing is pack and heading toward the doors, they had reached their destination, the place with all the answers.

Kagome ran her hands over the dusty volumes set out on the table before her. Inuyasha had whisked them into a study room that he had seemingly had on reserve for weeks.

" And they just let you keep all of their books in here? What if another person wants to check them out or something?" Kagome questioned.

"Feh, I know the owner of this library and besides," Inuyasha looked up a small smirk playing on his face, "Only me, the owner, and now you know these books even exist"

Kagome couldn't keep her surprise hidden. "What do these books contain exactly?"

"Well, everything they want to kept a secret from the public about feudal Japan" He went back to skimming the book he had in his hand, stopping every few seconds to type something on his laptop.

"And what is that? Aliens made contact in 1340!" Kagome laughed at her own joke.

Inuyasha grunted and slid a book down to her; it looked older than Inuyasha and her combined times ten. She opened it to see a foreign Kanji written on its pages. Despite never seeing the characters before in her life she could read it with ease.

" The rites and rituals of the underworld? What is this? How old is it? " She looked up, confusion filling her eyes. It sounded like a cheesy horror book but for some reason the title sent chills down her spine.

'_She can read it? Maybe that was a fluke!' _Inuyasha rationalized in his head, afraid to face the real answer.

" It was written by a rogue monk in a monastery in Tibet. He worked on it in his spare time-some say he was commissioned by the emperor of Japan. It's the first book written in a leather bound book but filled with Japanese but as I said before, no one knows about it."

"But what does it _mean_?" Kagome shivered before placing the book down.

" I don't know, I can't read it." Inuyasha stated gruffly, "I've tried translating it, it doesn't work. Its written in a dead language, the things it offers are lost forever"

Kagome flipped through the pages before stopping randomly. She creased her brows with concentration before looking up, then looking down again. She wasn't sure how, but she just knew it –she knew every single word on the page.

"**And once you cast your soul for exchange, there is no return and no promise of survival-only the beast you have surrendered to" **

"What the hell are you talk—you can read that?" Inuyasha abandoned all the work in front of him and jumped to his feet. He'd tried for hours on end when he was presented with the book. He knew something important was written in that book, something he had only dreamed of discovering.

Kagome was the link after all.

Inyasha felt a bittersweet feeling come over him. He'd found her, but put her at risk to lose it all.

'_I was hoping I was wrong about her' _

" Yeah I guess, did you notice that some pages are missing out of the middle and the end?" Kagome held up the ripped book for his eyes

"Must've happened during its time floating around the Far East" Inuyasha brushed off the comment still battling in his mind the right thing to do about Kagome.

"Well its weird…Should I spend sometime deciphering the book?" Kagome asked

"Sure, uh I'm going to get something to drink from the vending machines out there, want something?" He asked, avoiding eye contact at all cost.

" Maybe a bottle of water, please?"

Inuyasha nodded before hastily making an exit. Karma had a way of fucking with him, big time

' _I can't be, not again'_

He headed down the hallway toward the machines trying to keep his head clear of thoughts of Kagome. He didn't even notice he had collided with a librarian until it was too late, with a string of curses they tumbled to the ground.

" Shit! Are you okay?" He asked looking at the disheveled woman, she looked fairly new to the place, he couldn't even remember her name and he was like family to the staff here.

" Inuyasha! Matsuda sent me to find you; some thugs came here looking for the book. He said you'd know what I was talking about " She looked scared for her life as she glanced over her shoulder.

"Where is he?" Inuyasha asked gravely. It seemed as if the games were starting well before he thought they would.

" The guys are still in there with him, threatening him" She cried softly into her hand.

" Alright I'm gonna go check it out, go to the room secure the books and make sure you and the girl stay safe" He stood up before running off towards Matsuda, the owner's, office.

He remembered when he had marched into the office of his mentor a month ago and claimed something fishy was going on within the Tokyo murders. He was shocked when he was met with similar claims from the man. His friend handed him some books that were worth more than his weight in gold and told him to be safe.

'_Another life I've ruined' _

The door to the office was thrown open, but instead of finding Matsuda being assaulted by two guys he found his friend struggling to reach the door, blood dripping from a knife wound at his side.

"What Happened? Which way did they go?" He asked helping his friend to the sofa in the room. Inuyasha whipped out his phone prepared to dial 911.

"Stop, I can call on my own! You need to go, get that book…its that bitch she did this, hurry!"

"What? Some librarian came and told me two guys did this we need to get you an ambulance, your going into shock."

" Did you tell her where the book was?"

Inuyasha thought for a moment, "Yeah I told her in the room, with Kagome"

His heart stopped.

"GO! I'll be fine, keep her from getting that book" Matsuda struggled to give his young friend a pat.

" I found the link, again" Inuyasha stated thinking of Kagome and the danger she found herself in because of him

"GO! You can tell me all about it on the next visit"

Inuyasha nodded and left in a full sprint. He was so stupid.

'_I left her with a stranger!' _

He barreled through the closed door of the study room at the end of the hall.

"Oi Bitch! You thought you tricked me huh?" He said brandishing a feral grin.

" Dumb little puppy, I tricked you good. You picked the old fart over the young blood, a shame really-she was very pretty" The woman who had looked so innocent in the hallway looked downright evil in this small room. In her hand was a 6 inch switchblade knife, covered in a mix of dried and fresh crimson.

Inuyasha's eyes widened.

He scanned the room in a hurry, looking for any sign of Kagome. All he could see was a hand dripping in the same crimson from around the table.

"What'd you do to her!" He screamed, not comprehending the scene he saw.

" Well I caught the stupid girl reading the book. I couldn't believe some stupid boy had found the book so I questioned her, she tried to hit me with a chair-so I killed the bitch" The woman sounded like she enjoyed her actions. She smirked hard before darting out a tongue to lick the blood off of the knife.

" I'll KILL YOU" Inuyasha charged. He noted mildly something clanking to the ground and a rush of fierce wind before wings spread out of the woman's body, she had dropped the knife ignoring the weapon for her own talons.

She was a harpy, straight out of the legends.

"Not before I kill you, whelp!" She lunged as well but instead of launching herself onto Inuyasha she tripped landing on the ground with a thud. Inuyasha looked to see a small, bloodied hand wrapped around the Harpy's ankle.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha screamed, elated at the fact that she was still alive.

"You won't touch him you bitch" Kagome's voice sounded muffled and tired but she had determination. Sitting up onto her knees, her other hand on her open wound on her side, she started to glow.

It was a soft pink at first before growing in strength. Inuyasha noted her eyes were white.

The horrid smell of burnt flesh filled the room and the harpy screamed.

"Get off me girl!' She tried to kick but Kagome let go of her ankle, instead laying her hand along the harpy's leg, the leg started to smoke.

Inuyasha watched in awe. He vaguely remembered the last time he had felt such power.

It was on the day he had lost it all.

Sitting in the presence of it again was nerve-racking. He felt a swell of emotions hit him.

'_Kagome'_

In a quick move of her hand Kagome smacked her hand down on the back of the harpy's head, using her knees as leverage on its back she pressed until the harpy began to glow pink as well. The shrieks increased in volume until they stopped all together.

The Harpy was gone, in her place a pile of ash and charred feathers.

Kagome sat for a moment before the rush of powers left her. Her wound seemed to reopen and blood squirted from her body.

"Inu..Yasha" She said looking up to see her comrade. He had ran to her aid, would have fought for her.

Kagome was touched. She felt the tears run down her face

Then she felt nothing, as the world melted into black.


	7. Chapter 7: Link

Chapter 7

Everything hurt

Kagome felt like her entire being was on fire, and it wasn't a pleasant feeling.

'_Did I get hit by a truck?' _She mused, trying to pinpoint the source of the pounding behind her eyes. Kagome had never felt this bad before. The closest she came to this type of pain was the time Eri had smuggled two big bottles of vodka to a sleepover and Kagome learned she was a lightweight.

Kagome took a deep breath and slowly opened her eyes.

Light surrounded her and Kagome instantly regretted her decision. She was now dangerously nauseous. Blinking rapidly Kagome tried to elevate her self to a sitting position.

It was then that she noticed that she didn't know where she was.

'_What the hell' _She cursed in her head. Last time she checked her room wasn't decked out in 18th century regal furniture. To complete the very English look there was a very high ceiling above her, that she was sure created a turret.

She wasn't even sure if she was in Japan anymore.

Her curiosity about her location motivated her. She swallowed back her headache and nausea and crept out of the bed. She needed to investigate.

The hardwood creaked under her shifting weight as she moved slowly towards the door. A thousand questions were running through her head as she opened the thick oak door and stepped into the dimly lit hallway, complete with armored figurines. Besides the obvious questions about where she was, or how she got there, she wanted to know where Inuyasha was.

She couldn't remember anything after him leaving the room to go get something from the vending machines.

What could have happened?

"Excuse me, Miss?" A timid voice sounded behind her. Kagome turned to come face to face with a short and very young maid. She looked no more than eighteen, maybe younger. She had short black hair and kind eyes that made Kagome feel at ease. "Are you Miss Kagome?" the girl questioned.

"How do you know my name?" Kagome felt her chest tighten. She was in an unfamiliar place with an unfamiliar person who was obviously familiar with her.

"Master Inuyasha will want to know you're awake, but first we need to find you appropriate clothing, follow me" She motioned for Kagome to follow her back into the bedroom she had just escaped from. Before Kagome could even process what had happened and what the woman had even said, she looked at her attire.

And almost screamed.

She had walked out of the room in what was the equivalent of a hospital gown, flap in the back included. Kagome quickly bowed her head and followed the woman inside, cheeks bright red.

" I think this is appropriate for your meeting with Master Inuyasha" She said pulling out priestess robes. Kagome knew what they were on sight, she was a shrine maiden at home after all.

" Um, You said master Inuyasha right?"

"_Breaking News: The police department have arrested the woman accused of breaking in at the downtown private library owned by book enthusiast Matsuda Toshiro. She was found, unconscious along with the owner inside the library. Toshiro is still in the intensive care unit of Tokyo General Hospital. An investigation is under way to see if money was a motive in the attack. More at Eleven._ The news announcer's voice drifted from a downstairs television.

It came back to Kagome in a rush. The woman-beast who had attacked, the light that had come from inside her, her intense will for both her and Inuyasha to live.

"What did I do?" Kagome felt her feet giving out from under her, she was once again falling into the darkness. This time however instead of seeing a bloodied Inuyasha it was the simple and clean nurse rushing towards her.

"Master Inuyasha!" The nurse screamed for her employer as she reached out to catch the falling girl. Kagome fell into the nurses embrace with a thud, shaking with effort as she tried to maintain a steady heart rate.

" I'll be alright, I just need to sit down for a moment" Kagome panted pushing herself back up onto her feet and moving gingerly back into the bed she had woken up in.

"Is Inuyasha alright?" Kagome had to ask the question, she couldn't remember what had happened after the flash of light. What if that creature had gotten up again?

"He's fine, just a little worried about you, and I believe his is on his way to check on you" The nurse smiled, relieved that the girl seemed all right, "Ahh I believe I hear him coming up the stairs now"

" Kaede, is Kagome okay?" Inuyasha looked disheveled standing at the doorway of his guest bedroom. Kagome blushed at seeing him so concerned about her well-being.

" She's fine, she just had a little confusion getting up" the woman, named Kaede chuckled getting up from her kneeling position next to the bed. Inuyasha looked in her direction and smiled gratefully at her. Kagome looked away instinctually from exchange. She knew nothing extra was going on in the relationship; she had called him master Inuyasha. However Kagome felt like she was intruding on his private life.

'_And here I thought we were on the road to friendship' _Kagome rolled her eyes with her thought. She had to face the facts, she didn't know jack about Inuyasha. Kagome felt like a fool, here she was letting her 'friend' drag her all around Tokyo like a little doll and she hadn't even known (or noticed) that he was filthy rich.

"Where am I?" Kagome questioned the boy. She wanted her answers, it was no longer the time or place to play 'mystery man'. She had been seriously hurt. Kagome could remember the beastly woman closing in on her, her clawed hand raking its way down her side, shredding her flesh like paper.

Kagome shivered, she didn't want to think about her brush with death anymore.

"Oh, Yeah I've got a lot to explain…Kagome…." Inuyasha looked away before staring at the girl who looked so small in frail in the giant four poster bed, he didn't want to drag her into this at all, " I'm sorry for this…I wish there was another way"

Kagome was confused. Little did she know that her life was about to change with the words he had to share.

" Okay..Ummm can you leave for a moment? I'm going to change now-can I meet you downstairs" Kagome asked, trying not to let his words scare her at the moment.

"Sure if you're up to it." He gave her a half-smile and closed the door tightly after his exit.

When he was sure he was alone in the hallway he dipped inside his shirt bringing a small necklace to his eye level. On the flimsy silver chain was an old fang, that looked like it didn't belong to just a simple animal. Inuyasha sighed as he looked at it-the necklace had been with him for a long time, but he always remembered the first time he had seen it, and he'd always remember the fateful day he had received it.

'_I promise, I won't let her down like I let you down' _Inuyasha thought kissing the necklace before letting it drop back down into his shirt. Though it was the day he wished would never come, it was here and he promised her that he would be ready the second time around.

Inuyasha walked down the deep cherry stairs of the mansion. He could remember the first time he had entered this place, when it was his father's house. His mother had brought him there for a visit. He remembered the stares he got and the harsh treatment.

Inuyasha's father wasn't kind or gentle. He rarely smiled and he never told jokes. The only semblance of emotion was the warmth radiating from his old man's eyes every time he looked at his mother.

Inuyasha remembered hating that look. His mother would always give him her best smiles when she saw his piercing eyes. Even though when the visits were over and they went back to their small little house she cried like there was no tomorrow-she still smiled for him.

Inuyasha hated his father.

And then his father died.

When he died Inuyasha and his mother received money, and lots of it. It seemed that his father had included him and his mother only in his will. Despite the rumors that Inuyasha had a half-brother and that his father had another wife; they were placed into the lap of luxury. But, as all good lies do, their world succumbed to the truth.

The truth, which he would somehow have to explain to Kagome when she came down those stairs.

"This place really is beautiful, do you really own all of it?" Kagome was carefully making her way down the stairs. She was still tired, he could tell but she still managed to take his breath away.

Her dark tresses were pulled into a tight braid that swung near her mid back. She was dressed in the robes of a high priestess and even though they weren't meant to be hers, she filled them perfectly.

"uh, its nothing really, belonged to my father…come have a seat" Inuyasha nervously bushed off the armchair next to the table, motioning for Kagome to sit.

"I want the truth, Inuyasha. No lies, no secrets."

" I'm not the one who can tell you it. I have an old friend who can tell you everything you need to know! But it…it isn't my place to tell you"

"No! I'm not going to be following you around like a puppy! Before I thought that was my place; that it was okay, that you were on the way to being truthful. But I was wrong-I didn't even know you were rich, I don't even know your last name.

How am I supposed to trust you Inuyasha? All you've done is lie and use me…I…I don't know what happened today. Don't you think I'm scared? That horrible woman almost killed me. I almost died! And still your lying to me. Your still dragging me around like a puppet." Kagome exhaled, rage shaking her entire puppet. She had never felt so stupid in her life

'_All for a pretty face' _

" Are you done? No I can't tell you a lot but you'll get your explanations I promise, you'll know everything about this situation soon enough. As for me? The less you know about me the better. We aren't friends and we'll never be friends. I'm not stupid. And once you know everything, you won't be so naïve either. C'mon we've got to go somewhere, so you can get your information. Feh. The more you know, the least your gonna wanna be in this situation but maybe you'll shut the hell up" Inuyasha felt his ears burning. He never intended to be mean. He had been trying to be the 'gentleman' the entire time.

But this girl had spent five minutes complaining and whining. He wished she wasn't the host

'_K-…she was never like this'_ He thought darkly _'she accepted her duty with grace and honor' _

Kagome looked at him for a long time, watching his anger wash over him. The only words she could think to say were the words her mother and her friends constantly told her, what they constantly reminded her of.

"We're not detectives, not even close. We're wasting our time. Let me go home-let the police do their job"

Inuyasha chuckled

"Its not that simple anymore Kagome, I don't think it was ever that simple. Kagome, this is more than just a few women getting beheaded, this is more than a murder spree. And you…you're the link"


End file.
